Tuesday Tunes – “At The Table” by Josh Garrels

Faith is a journey through mountains and valleys punctuated by periods of varying closeness and distance from God. For me, “At The Table” is a song about returning home and closing distance.

“At The Table” appears on Josh Garrels’ newest album, Home (released April 7, 2015), his highly anticipated follow-up to 2011’s Love & War & The Sea In Between. The album explores human and divine relationships, faith, sin, and grace with recurring themes of worship and homecoming. Despite initially being available for free, as is most of Garrels’ music at some time or another, Home charted on Billboard. If you’re interested, Chandler Coyle wrote a nice article on Garrels’ choice to give his music away.

Josh Garrels is a brilliant lyricist and I love the personification of innocence in “At The Table.” When innocence is given a face and a voice, it no longer seems like a small thing to lose. I just love how the lyrics put that in perspective.

“‘Cause I lost some nameless things / My innocence flew away from me / She had to hide her face from my desire to embrace forbidden fire / But at night I dream she’s singing over me / Oh, oh, my child”

“At The Table” serves as a welcome reminder that no matter how far we stray, there are loving arms awaiting our return.